Reduction of Multidrug-Resistant (MDR) Bacterial Infections during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Retrospective Study.

Enrico Bentivegna,Maurizio Simmaco,Luca Arcari,Paolo Martelletti,Michelangelo Luciani,Iolanda Santino

doi:10.3390/ijerph18031003

Abstract

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) organisms are emerging as some of the main healthcare problems worldwide. During the COVID-19 pandemic, several Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures have been adopted to reduce nosocomial microorganism transmission. We performed a case–control study to identify if the incidence of MDR bacterial infections while using pandemic-related preventive measures is lower than in previous years. From 2017 to 2020, we monitored hospital discharges over a four-month period (P #) (1 March to 30 June) in St. Andrea Hospital, Rome. In total, we reported 1617 discharges. Pearson’s chi-squared test was used to identify significant differences. A value of p ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. A significant reduction in the incidence of total MDR bacterial infections was observed during the pandemic compared to in prepandemic years (p < 0.05). We also found a significantly higher incidence of MDR bacterial infections in COVID-19 departments compared with other medical departments (29% and 19%, respectively), with extended-spectrum β-lactamase Klebsiella pneumoniae as the pathogens presenting the highest increase. This study demonstrates that maintaining a high level of preventive measures could help tackle an important health problem such as that of the spread of MDR bacteria.

Highlights

Hospital-associated infections (HAIs) are emerging as some of the main healthcare problems worldwide
The overall objective of this study is to provide an overview of MDR bacterial infections over the past four years
During P # 2020, both COVID-19 (19.2%) and non-COVID-19 (29.2%) departments showed a lower incidence of total MDR bacterial infection compared to previous years

Summary

Introduction

Hospital-associated infections (HAIs) are emerging as some of the main healthcare problems worldwide. Being linked to multidrug-resistant (MDR) organisms, HAIs cause about 99,000 deaths each year in the US [1], with an estimated cost ranging from. The continuous selective pressure dictated by the widespread and sometimes unjustified use of broad-spectrum antibiotics has led to the selection of bacteria increasingly resistant to most modern forms of antibiotics. The race to develop new classes of antibiotics is often counterbalanced by the rapid evolution of resistant forms of bacteria. Since there are few therapeutic options in the case of an infection by extensively resistant or panresistant bacteria, the World Health Organization (WHO) highlights how preventive measures are the most efficient strategy to face the rise of MDR organisms [3]

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